Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway said that while the loss to Dallas on Thursday night was difficult, he believes the team showed it is capable of playing with anyone in the NFL.
"I thought for four quarters we were toe-to-toe with those guys," Greenway said. "I don't think we're going to walk away hanging our heads from that standpoint. I mean we're a good football team. We're 6-6, and that's what we are.
"But we're going to compete against anybody. Nobody in this league scares us. But we have to win football games. We just have to find a way to win in the fourth quarter."
Greenway, who has been playing a more limited role while still providing key leadership, finished with three tackles. He said losing in such close fashion was difficult, but the team needs to continue to focus on trying to reach the postseason.
"It's the NFL, and it's a tough loss because you compete so hard and you try to get the win," he said. "We have to go on to the next week, and we have to win out now to make the playoffs and that has to be our mentality — win out and we can control our destiny, for the most part."
With the Vikings having lost six of their past seven games, Greenway said they have to focus on closing out victories. Four of the six losses have been by a touchdown or less. And even though they were facing an elite football team, Greenway said it felt like the Vikings lost the game more than the Cowboys won it.
"Really it's about the last five minutes, we've struggled in situations in the last five minutes to close out games," he said. "They're good football players, they're a good football team, a good offense. We knew it was going to be a challenge for us and that's why they're 10-1 and now 11-1. So a good challenge, we played well, but didn't do enough."
Greenway said the loss was especially difficult without Mike Zimmer on the sidelines due to the coach's emergency eye surgery.